5 star NHS treatment

I am typing this with my left hand, as, yesterday I had am operation to finally fix my scaphoid bone in my right hand. I have been waiting for this since August, so I was really glad to get treated. If you didn't know, this bust in March during a game of 5-a-side football. Since then I have spent months in various treatments before an operation became inevitable.

The gory details

I got to Southmead hospital in Bristol on Wednesday morning and was in theatre by 9.30. The consultant had previously explained he was going to put a pin through the two parts of the fractured bone and then graft some bone material from my wrist into the gap. However, I wasn't aware of the the need for both a local and general anaesthetic due to the pain from the graft, which would probably be greater. This was explained to me by the professor of anaethetics, who conducted this. He also recorded the procedure using ultrasound to demonstrate the technique of totally blocking the nerve to the arm inside the shoulder. This stopped all feeling and movement my arm for 18 hours. Thankfully, after this awkward procedure and making sure my arm was numb, they put me to sleep.

So, I woke up afterwards and was unhappy not to be able to locate my arm next to my body, as I expected. Eventually I found it hanging in a sling above the bed. I found the top of this contained a warm rubbery structure, which I eventually realised was my hand. A nurse was soon over to check my b.p. and make sure I was coming to. I was then fed painkillers through the afternoon and evening, happily watching the Lyon vs Liverpool football match. The drugs were so powerful I even fely sympathy for Liverpool as they were dumped out of the Champions League.

Unfortunately the anaesthetic block on my arm wore out at 1 am, and I quickly obtained tougher painkillers until the night-nurse resorted to morphine. Another side effect of the drugs was stomach problems, but the staff were great.
By morning the pain was controlled and I had some breakfast cereal frosted with codine. I am now appreciating the side effects of this drug, which I won't go into, but I was discharged at 11.

So, I am now out of hospital and hopefully on the road to recovery. I can only praise the excellent nurses at Southmead, who really cared for me. The large surgical team was also really impressive and came to visit me afterwards. Frankly, I am in awe of the quality of care I received.